The master plan for Palma's port will be set out before the end of the summer. The Balearic Ports Authority and town hall have been working together to produce a document which integrates the port and city. It is, according to the authority's president, Joan Gual, one that takes into account the views of the town hall. Previous plans, which failed to materialise, failed to do so. "Not taking these into account was a mistake, and one that has been rectified."
The purpose of the plan is to optimise the use of the port for the next 30 to 40 years "in order to ensure the port's economic future and the economy of the island". As such, it reflects a very different relationship which existed over the 2011-2015 period where there was a proposal for another dock and global investment of around 900 million euros.
The multidisciplinary team formed by the ports authority and town hall has, says Gual, been coordinating perfectly. "We don't want an unfeasible plan but one that is logical for both the port and the city. The connection will be total and enable the link between the city and port operations in respect of the piers and the Paseo Marítimo."
The plan rules out activities that are not directly to do with port services and the nautical industry. There will, for example, be no provision for restaurants. "I am one of those who is of the opinion that there should be maximum growth of specific port operations, always taking into account the connection with the city."
The final budget has yet to be determined, but Gual says that it will be "light years" away from what was previously proposed.